Chapter 1

Pallet Town, Kanto. A few years prior.

"Red!" Green, planting his feet firmly in the grass beneath him, shouted his friend's name at the top of his lungs. A burst of sparks radiated throughout his small body-the Professor's grandson, aged 5, waved his arms wildly in the air to draw the attention of the other.

It was clear Red had already seen him, though, as he immediately turned 180 degrees and started back in the direction he came.

This wouldn't do. Pouting, Green took a deep breath in and took off after the other, moving as fast as his little limbs could carry him. Being as uncoordinated as a 5 year old was, however, Green greatly miscalculated the speed at which he needed to catch up; before he could stop himself, he was upon Red, and then on top of him as they collided and fell to the ground.

Gasping, Green sat up, towered over Red, who lay flat on his back, expression nearly blank save for the slight downturn of his brow. Presumably due to the unwelcomed weight on his stomach.

"Hey! Why were you just gonna walk away from me like that? Gramps says it's rude to ignore people!" he stated, climbing off of the boy beneath him.

Stepping back, Green watched his friend sit up, brush the dust off of his shirt slowly. The trees around them cast a shadow on the beaten dirt path the two of them had been walking on, but the brush parted in such a way that light shone down on Red's form brilliantly, illuminating him as he rose to his feet. Green, noticing the shadow he himself was standing in, scooted closer to Red, joining him in the sunlight.

For weeks now, Green had been desperately trying to get the neighbor boy to speak to him. Although they had spent their entire lives living next to one another, they had only met recently-Red's mother was concerned for her boy's health, as Red had spent the majority of his life in his bedroom, no desire to go outside. Seeing as how the population of Pallet Town was grossly underwhelming in comparison to the other cities that made up the Kanto region, word travelled fast among the town's citizens, and Professor Oak was quick to contact Red's mother with the proposal of setting their children up to be friends.

Green, too, had very little social experience-his sister was his only friend, and practically his mother, seeing as how his guardian was far too busy with research to consistently nurture the boy. This seemed like an easy solution for both Oak and Red's mother-if their two boys, the only children of their age in the entire town, could become friends, both concerns would be dissolved.

Green was eager upon hearing this proposal. His sister was annoying, a nuisance, always taunting him and forcing him to go to bed early. If Green had known there was a potential friend living next door all this time, he would've tried talking to Red sooner!

However, the task of befriending Red was far more daunting than the young boy could have imagined. Red was despondent, vacant, and Green often felt that the other boy had no idea he was near. Red avoided Green, but Green didn't take it personally; from what had been observed, Red avoided everyone, sometimes even his own mother. Green couldn't imagine it.

But the Oak boy was persistent, his determination undying. Red's lack of interest made him intriguing, fueled Green's desire to know more about him, be his friend, be the only one he was willing to be around.

So far… things weren't going well.

Red, as if nothing had happened, turned around, began walking down the path, leaving Green alone in the sunlight. Green wouldn't have it-he took off after Red, this time slowing as he approached to walk slightly behind the other.

"Whatcha doin' today, Red?" he asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. No response. That wasn't surprising. "Did your mommy make you come outside today?" Silence. Green cast his gaze to the treetops above. Even as they walked, the sunlight that managed to break through the foliage cast solely on Red. Green, left in the shadows yet again, was seemingly the only one of the two to notice.

"Hey, Red… I think you should be nicer to your mommy sometimes."

This elicited a slight response from Red, finally: the boy glanced at Green with a slightly irritated expression. Green, surprised by the fact that his words hadn't fallen on deaf ears for once, blinked. But, as quickly as it came, the interaction passed, and Red's eyes fell on the path before him yet again.

Green cleared his throat, feeling briefly awkward for mentioning mothers-but, considering a child's resilience, he quickly forgot about it, dismissing the negative energy with a sigh.

The Oak boy began to speak again, uncomfortable with the silence, but was interrupted by a low growl. He stopped in his tracks, terrified for a moment by the unfamiliar sound, before noticing Red, too, had stopped, rubbing his tummy gently.

Seeing a great opportunity, Green grinned. "Hey!" he exclaimed, moving to stand in front of Red. He took the other boy's hands in his own, held them close. "Are you hungry? My sis can make lunch for us, if you want!"

For the second time that day, Green's words appeared to be heard. Red's eyes, usually half-lidded, were wide with intrigue. For the first time, Green got a good look at the color of the irises-they were a deep, shimmering silver, bright and wide and not as vacant as he had imagined them to look.

"Well? You wanna come eat, or what?" he iterated, squeezing his hands.

And finally, for the first time since they had met, Red replied: Green's words were met with a single nod of confirmation.

Viridian City, Kanto. Present Day.

Green exhaled as he stepped out of the building, glancing up at the sky. The sun was falling, lazily drifting below the horizon in the distance. The air was cool, and under the shadow that the awning of the gym cast upon him, it was even cooler. He shivered a bit, wrapped his jacket around his torso in an attempt to preserve some heat.

Green allowed himself only a moment of distraction before returning to the task at hand. Fumbling with the keys, he locked the doors to the Viridian City Gym and stepped back to look at the building in its entirety. His gym. He had earned it.

He smiled briefly, half-heartedly, but only for a moment. The feeling of pride quickly faded.

Turning around to head home, Green was surprised to see a young boy behind him, panting harshly. Hands on his knees, crouched over himself, the boy gasped for air, sweating despite the cold night breeze.

"Uh… hey, kid, are you alright-"

"I-I'm here to fight the gym leader!" he shouted, still attempting to regain his breath. He stood, puffed his chest out determinedly; the boy couldn't have been older than 9.

Folding his arms, Green shook his head. "You should've been here 20 minutes ago, then. Closed for the day."

"Man!" the boy exhaled dramatically, plopping himself onto the ground with a look of defeat. "I ran as fast as I could… but it wasn't good enough."

A soft pang struck Green's heart-he examined the boy, who was completely routed by his own tardiness. It was nostalgic, in a bizarre, unexplainable way, and the gym leader felt an exhale escape his lungs.

"Look kid… I really can't open up the gym again tonight. But… if it'll get you to wipe that depressing look off of your face, I'll prioritize your battle tomorrow, alright? If you're here early enough."

This seemed to work-jumping to his feet, he nodded excitedly, even going so far as to salute Green in his excitement.

"Yes, sir! I promise! I'll be here before you are tomorrow!"

Green nodded. "Fine… now go home. I'm sure your mother is worried."

With that, the boy dashed off into the distance.

This final interaction had marked the total emptiness of Green's tank for the day. Energy depleted completely, he zipped his coat, prepared to walk down the street to his home at the edge of Viridian City.

As he strolled down the road, hands in his pockets, his eyes flickered to the entrance of Route 22. Every day, he passed it, and every day, he was reminded of that day. A quick huff, an angry dismissal of the thought with a shake of his head. Not right now.

Upon approaching his house, Green began to feel better. Soon, he would be in his own home, surrounded by his Pokemon, with nothing to-

The gym leader's thoughts were interrupted as he noticed a small folded paper taped to his door. Tearing the page from the door, Green immediately recognized the parchment's origin: it was a cream colored page with a pale pokeball design in the center. The same paper Gramps had been using to take notes since Green was a child.

A lump formed in his throat as he examined the folded paper needlessly. The handwriting was also easily identifiable, but Green was reluctant to read it. He hadn't spoken to the Professor in some time, often ignoring his phone calls, swearing to himself that he'd answer next time. Green had even avoided visiting his sister, who still resided in Pallet Town. He didn't hate his grandfather or anything, but he found that every time the opportunity to interact with him arose, he felt uneasy, unable to bring himself to do it.

Enough-Green shook his head, building the courage to read the letter. How bad could it be? At worst, Oak was probably inviting him to lunch sometime, to which Green would agree but continue to postpone until the promise had simply expired. Or maybe he had a fieldwork request, and Green could claim to be too busy with the gym to participate.

Carefully, Green straightened the paper and began to read.

"Green.

Visit the lab ASAP. We have something important to discuss.

Prof. Oak."

A slight exhale through his nose. Green couldn't decide if this relieved his worries, or worsened them. The briefness and lack of detail in the note was a stroke of genius on the old man's part-none of Green's anxieties had been assuaged by this wording. It was just enough information to get his attention, but not enough to give Green the freedom to decline with a good conscience.

How infuriating! Maybe he was thinking too far into it. He just won't go! He won't allow himself to be played this way by this old man.

Entering his home, mind made up, Green shrugged his coat off in a huff and let it fall to the floor.

He did a fine job of suppressing any thoughts related to the situation as he went about his night. As he drank some tea, fed and groomed his Pokemon, watched a bit of television, bathed… the whole evening, he didn't spare the letter a single thought. So why, when Green laid his head on his pillow, was he suddenly flooded with dread?

He tossed, turned, smothered himself with his pillow-no use. He needed to go.

His Pokemon were alarmed when he rose from bed, as they had already settled for the night, and followed him through the house as he slid his coat and shoes on.

"Stay here," he instructed, but to no avail-his Arcanine stuck its nose between the door and the frame, preventing him from properly closing. Defeated, Green smiled at his Pokemon as they stared at him from inside the home, worried. They were so persistent-wonder where they got it from.

"...Alright. Let's go."

Pallet Town, Kanto. A few years prior.

Green watched in awe as the young boy before him crammed a corner of his sandwich into his mouth. The way Red was eating, Green vaguely wondered if he had eaten at all in the past few days. Or ever in his whole life.

His pondering was interrupted as he felt a sharp, sudden smack to the back of his head. Whining loudly, Green glanced over his shoulder to see Daisy, his elder sister of just a few years, with an irritated frown.

"Don't stare at someone, especially when they're eating!" she called out.

"That hurt!" Green complained loudly, rubbing his head.

Daisy held her own for a moment, watching Green with an intense stare, before sighing and giving in. She gently placed a hand on the back of his head, rubbing carefully.

"I'm sure it doesn't hurt that bad," she said, her tone almost sympathetic. "But it serves you right! You'll never make friends if you're so rude all the time."

Green flushed. "D-Daisy! Stop talking!"

How embarrassing! Quickly, Green turned to look at Red to see if he had noticed. Red simply stared at the table, offering no response as he took another large bite of the sandwich in hand.

A sigh of relief, and another threatening glare to his sister, and Green was ready to forget the incident with a bite of his own sandwich.

"Red," he said through a mouthful, which earned him a look of disapproval from Daisy that went unnoticed. "Did you eat breakfast today?"

There was a small nod. Thrilled by how responsive Red was being today, Green wiggled in his chair, picking up his glass to take a sip of milk.

"Oh! I thought you were so hungry because you didn't eat yet today." There was no reply, but that was okay. Green, too, was hungry, and he was simply satisfied that Red was in the same room as him.

After a moment of silence, Green began to speak again-however, he was cut off by the front door opening. In walked Green's grandfather, Professor Oak. Daisy, who had been preoccupied with the dishes in the sink, immediately abandoned her task and rushed to greet him.

"My!" Oak began, removing his lab coat and hanging it on the coat hook. "If it isn't Red!" Walking to the table, the Professor took to placing a hand on Red's head, ruffling his hair gently. Red seemed not to notice; instead, he took another bite.

"Me and Red are eating lunch!" Green announced proudly. This was his biggest accomplishment ever! The neighbor boy, who seemed to pretend the world didn't exist, had acknowledged his presence so many times today-him! He chose Green. The boy was thrilled.

This feeling of triumph was quickly dismissed, however, as Oak only offered a half-hearted smile before his attention returned to Red.

"Isn't that wonderful! You're really coming out of your shell, Red. Your mother is going to be so proud of you!"

Swallowing the sour lump that began to form in his throat, Green settled down, sank into his chair slowly. A strange, unrecognizable feeling of despair planted itself in Green's chest like a seed, burrowing deep and refusing to leave no matter how much he tried to ignore it.

"Anyway," Oak continued, completely oblivious to the inner turmoil his grandson was experiencing, "I'm only home for a moment to get some things. I'll be staying at the lab tonight," he explained as he drifted towards the stairs.

Oak was still speaking, but Green decided to drown it out. The sound of his grandfather's voice made him weary now, tired, unhappy. Briefly, he glanced up at Red, feeling a strange sense of resentment that felt out of place compared to his earlier excitement. To his surprise, as he looked up, his eyes met Red's. They stared at each other silently, and though Red was mostly void of expression, there was a slight downturn of his brow, a barely noticeable tilt of his head.

Are you okay? he seemed to ask.

Green stared blankly for a moment, unable to do anything but blink in shock. It was almost like Red had just spoken to him, like Red planted the thought in his mind. Red, who looked through people like they were made of glass, who always stared into the distance like his head was in another world- this same Red had just spoken to him! Maybe not conventionally, but that didn't matter.

The previous disappointment was long forgotten-Green's chest swelled with a feeling of pride and superiority. It didn't matter if Gramps didn't care what he had to say. Red cared! He cared about Green and Green only!

Happily, Green nodded.

"Hey, Red. Do you want this?" Picking up his partially eaten sandwich, Green tore it in half, offering it to Red.

The other boy didn't hesitate, even for a moment-in fact, he smiled, actually smiled, and gave a curt nod, reaching out and accepting the food eagerly. Green couldn't help but laugh.

Route 1, Kanto. Present Day.

Green stood on the outskirts of Pallet Town, his hands trembling. It was due to the cold, he told himself.

It's the cold. My hands are shaking because of the cold. I'm just cold, that's all. I'm just cold.

To confirm, Green exhaled sharply, studied the puff of evaporation that left his mouth as a result.

See? It's cold.

Seemingly sensing his distress, Arcanine nudged its head beneath Green's hand, initiating a pet. Green, giving a half-hearted smile to convince… well, someone that he was alright, complied, rubbing Arcanine's head softly. Its fur was thick, soft, and it provided enough heat to steady the gym leader's quivering hands.

See? It's just the cold.

No longer could he put it off-another deep inhale, a steep exhale, and Green stepped forward, crossing the threshold of no return, into Pallet Town.

"It's best if you stay in your ball like the others," he whispered to Arcanine. The Pokemon huffed a cloud of hot air in defiance, but willingly allowed itself to be consumed by the red light that transferred it into its Pokeball.

With that, Green silently began the short trek to his grandfather's laboratory. The wind had picked up a bit, and the once cool air had become sharp, icy. It was dark now, the sun having long since sunk deep below the horizon. A distant street light was the only thing illuminating the path.

As he approached his childhood home, Green felt suddenly dizzy-the path from home to the lab was seared into his brain forever, and the nostalgic sentiment of being in this spot was overwhelming. He felt his heart aching, his body trembling again. This was the exact reason he avoided this town.

How ridiculous! Why did he feel so traumatized by this place? It meant nothing. None of it did.

A huff of determination, and Green stormed forth, walking the same beaten path that he had walked an infinite amount of times before, until he finally arrived.

The building towered over him like a sleeping, mighty beast. The pale yellow paint had cracked and chipped away in some parts, revealing a rusted red brick underneath. Vines climbed the scale of the building, and despite the small, foggy window shining dimly, all was dark and still. Like the corpse of a mighty beast.

Green felt his chest tightening as he stared at the lab, feeling strangely depressed by the state it was in. It looked exactly the same as when he was a child, just… older, like it was failing, like it would soon crumble to the ground and exist as nothing more than a pile of rubble. And yet, it felt secure, as if despite how dangerous it may be to stand inside (lest the walls buckle around him,) it was the safest building he'd ever known.

All it took was a little bit of courage, something to convince him he could enter and face it.

In one swift moment, Green plunged-he held his breath, tensed, and heaved the door open with all of his might.

The wooden door swung open effortlessly, the rusted hinges squeaking. It slammed against the wall behind it, startling Green-he tensed further, fists tight at his side. At the far end of the lab, sitting in a worn wooden chair at his desk, sat Professor Oak, staring at Green with a soft smile.

"Hello, grandson."

Green's heart sank a bit. He swallowed the lump in his throat and stepped further into the lab. A single dim oil lamp flickered from Oak's desk, but otherwise, the building was as dark as outside. The professor looked significantly older than the last time Green had seen him. His wrinkles had deepened, his hair had lost any hint of youthful color it once held. Panic rose in Green's throat, but he swallowed it down hastily.

"Shut the door," Oak said with a laugh. "I'm not heating the outside."

Green blinked, processing the situation, before coming back to his senses. This time, he handled the door gently, carefully closing it.

"I didn't expect you to be dropping by tonight," the professor chuckled, setting his pencil down on the desk and turning to face Green fully.

"The letter said it was urgent," Green grumbled. He maintained a defensive air, extremely wary.

A soft chuckle. "I did not."

Yeah, right. Green wasn't an idiot; he knew the way his grandfather worked. The letter was phrased in such a way that urgency was insinuated, and it was intentional. Oak knew the lack of detail would eat at Green. The plan all along was to ask Green to visit tonight without outright asking. And it had worked.

"W-well, whatever…" Folding his arms over his chest, Green took a few steps further into the lab.

"It's good to see you, Green."

"What is this about?"

With a sigh of resignation, Oak adjusted himself and prepared to stand. It took him a minute to gather himself, to heave his old frame from the chair into a standing position. The sight made Green sad.

"I had something important to tell you. I didn't want to send it by mail because I felt I needed to tell you this in person."

This felt like a trap. The panic that had previously taunted him now returned in full force, climbing his throat and strangling him. Beginning to sweat, he took a step backwards, bracing himself.

"Wh-what… what the hell is this about?" Green said, tone rising.

Oak held his hands out, stepping closer in an attempt to close the gap.

"Calm down, Green. It's nothing bad."

Scoffing, Green narrowed his gaze on Oak. "I find it extremely hard to believe that you would send me a letter, summoning me in the middle of the night like this, if it was 'nothing bad.' You were sitting there waiting for me! Do you think I'm some kind of idiot or something?"

"I've received word on Red's whereabouts."

The pencil rolled off the desk and hit the tile floor with a soft thud.

...huh?

Oak's words had startled him so severely, caught him so off guard, that he immediately shut his mouth. What? ….What? Green's head was filled with a strange static that began quietly, almost unnoticeable, but increasingly grew louder and louder. Who?

"I don't understand," he finally said.

Oak closed his eyes, as if he were thinking, and folded his arms. "Yes… I think I may know where Red is. I've heard some rumors about a strong trainer-"

"Why?"

Oak's eyes opened-he looked up. "Hm?"

"Why are you telling me this?" Green didn't know what Oak wanted from him. This felt like such a betrayal, like a hefty punch to the gut. His stomach turned. To hide his panic, Green laughed. "Why are you telling me this? I don't care. I haven't even spoken to R-"

The word got caught on his tongue, and he swallowed harshly. Red. Red. Red. Red. Red.

He's alive? He's out there? He still exists?

There was a bulky, burdensome silence that cloaked Green as he attempted to pull his scrambled thoughts together. Why didn't Oak just keep this to himself? Why did he have to bring Green into this? Why?

"I thought you would want to know where he is," Oak said, and although the silence had alluded to regret, the Professor's tone was soft, reasonable.

Another harsh scoff as Green scrambled to build his defenses. "Yeah, right! Are you senile, old man? Why would I care at all! I…"

His composure was crumbling, and suddenly Green recalled the image of the building collapsing down on him and crushing him.

"He's in the Johto region," Oak continued, as if Green's poorly contained hysteria was lost on him. Less about Oak had changed than Green originally thought, it seemed. "And, if the rumors I've been hearing are correct, he's living on Mt. Silver."

Miserably, Green's gaze fell to the tile floor. He really needed to get ahold of himself-this loss of composure was embarrassing. Inhaling deeply through his nose, Green stuck his hand into his pocket, held the Pokeball there in the palm of his hand. Just barely, he thought he felt it sway in response.

Red… he was out there. He was close, within reach. Green knew where he was and could go to him and see him. But… did he really want to? This was a wound that had been hastily patched up, just enough to keep it from reopening-seeing him again would destroy that, bust the wound wide open, pour salt into the pulsating flesh. No… Green had been abandoned, betrayed. There was no way he would ever go see him. There was no way he'd ever want to.

"I'm going home," Green declared, not bothering to look his grandfather in the eye. To his surprise, Oak said nothing.

With that, Green turned on his heel, stormed towards the exit, and slammed the door harshly on his way out.